Agha, Shanaka pose with trophy on eve of T20I tri-series final
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and his Sri Lankan counterpart Dasun Shanaka featured in the trophy photoshoot on the eve of their T20I tri-series final.
In a video released by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the two captains were seen having a candid conversation over a cup of tea at a local hotel’s lobby here, with live traditional music being played in the background. Agha and Shanaka also posed for the pictures with the glittering trophy, which their sides will be vying for in the highly anticipated final, set to be played here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday. It is pertinent to mention that the two teams took contrasting routes to the final as the home side won their first three league-stage matches to advance, while Sri Lanka earned a dramatic entry, bouncing back from back-to-back defeats by winning their next two remaining matches.
In the high-stakes clash against Pakistan on Thursday, Dushmantha Chameera’s four-wicket haul and sensational bowling performance in the final over under pressure helped Sri Lanka clinch a narrow six-wicket victory to seal their qualification for the summit clash by pipping Zimbabwe. Captain Agha’s unbeaten half-century, coupled with blistering cameos by Mohammad Nawaz and Usman Khan, helped Pakistan crawl their way back into the game after being reduced to 43/3 inside the batting powerplay.
The equation eventually came down to 10 runs required off the final over, but Chameera displayed nerves of steel and conceded only three runs to claim a miraculous victory for the visitors.
Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Hassan Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.
Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Pavan Rathnayake and Eshan Malinga. Staff Report
